A brassiere generally comprises a front portion formed with two cups, a back portion connected to the front portion and extending around the back of the wearer and shoulder straps which are connected at the cups and are joined to the back portion. The brassiere may have a front closure between the cups or a back portion joining parts of the back portion together in a releasable manner. The straps generally can be adjustable by buckles or fasteners and can be connected to the cup portions by detachable fasteners.
In maternity brassieres, the front portion may have flaps which are detachably connected to allow a breast to be exposed for nursing generally by releasing a clip securing that flap at the front of the brassiere at the connection between the respective cup portion and the shoulder strap.
In a sports bra, which can have less structured cups, the connector to the strap may be a ring through which the strap can be looped.
In all brassieres of the type described it is desirable to be able to draw the cup upwardly toward the shoulder in an adjustable manner and particularly in nursing brassieres and in sports brassieres, a greater range of adjustability may be desirable. In addition, since the shoulder straps are usually somewhat narrow they may tend to cut into the wearer and limit the comfort of the brassiere.